THE ILLUSTRIOUS CLIENT, although
never named, it is strongly inferred to be King George V (the story
is dated by Watson as 1911)SIR JAMES DAMERY, agent
for the illustrious client who brought Holmes into the case, procured
the sample of Chinese pottery, and took Gruner's diary after Holmes
had obtained it.GENERAL de MERVILLE, father
of ...VIOLET de MERVILLE, fiancée
of ...BARON ADELBERT GRUNER, a
notorious collector of women. He murdered one of his wives
but made it look like an accident and was never prosecuted.SHINWELL "PORKY" JOHNSON,
an
ex-con gone straight who is a snitch for Holmes.KITTY WINTER, a former
mistress of Gruner who is now a ruined, soiled dove because of his
treatment of her.SIR LESLIE OAKSHOTT, a
surgeon who attended Holmes after he was beaten by Gruner's minions.LOMAX, librarian who
got Watson information about Chinese pottery.DR. HILL BURTON, Watson's
alias when he called on Gruner.

SUMMARY

Gruner has completely infatuated
Violet and has explained away all of his past love affairs (which have
become public).

General de Merville has been
very loyal to the crown and the king wishes to spare Violet the heartbreak
which a marriage to Gruner is sure to produce, so he has Damery hire Holmes
to put some sense into Violet's head so she will break her engagement.

Holmes in turn engages Shinwell
who turns up Kitty. Kitty and Holmes meet with Violet but Gruner
has brain washed her well and Violet feels that Kitty herself caused the
end of her affair with Gruner and that Kitty's case is her own doing.

Gruner hires a pair of assassins
to murder Holmes. Only Holmes' boxing/single-stick skills save his
life. Holmes has his surgeon, Oakshott, and Watson tell the press
that he is at death's door and his life despaired for.

Holmes learns from Kitty that
Gruner has a very private diary in which he brags about all of his former
love affairs. He keeps this diary in an inner study.

Gruner is also an avid collector
of ancient Chinese pottery.

Damery acquires a rare piece
of Chinese pottery which Holmes gives to Watson. Watson has crammed
about Chinese pottery and visits Gruner pretending that he wants to sell
his collection. This engages Gruner's attention long enough that
Holmes can burglarize the inner study and steal the secret diary.

Gruner sees through Watson's
façade, deduces that he is an agent of Holmes and enters his inner
study just as Holmes is getting away through the window. Gruner attempts
to follow Holmes through the window but Kitty, who has been hiding in the
shrubbery, throws vitriol in his face, maiming and disfiguring him for
life.

Holmes gives the diary to Damery
and Violet, confronted with indisputable evidence, now sees that Gruner
is truly evil and breaks her engagement. Holmes is charged with burglary
and Kitty with vitriol throwing. The illustrious client gets the
charges dropped against Holmes and gets Kitty off with the lightest possible
sentence.

1. When Holmes is burglarizing
the study, his head is "swathed in bloody bandages," although his injuries
are over a week old.3. "In some ways [it]
was the supreme moment of [Holmes] career."

Official Abbreviation: ILLU

The Adventure Of The Illustrious
Client was first published in Collier's Weekly, November 8th, 1924

The
Blanched Soldier

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

JAMES M. DODD, recently
of the Middlesex corps of the Imperial Yeomen.COL. EMMSWORTH, retired
from the army, the Boer War.OLD RALPH, long-time
butler in the colonel's household.RALPH'S WIFE, she nursed
Godfrey.MR. KENT, personal physician
to Godfrey.SIR JAMES SAUNDERS,
prominent dermatologist.BALDY SIMPSON and ANDERSON,
soldiers
who were with Godfrey when he was wounded.

SUMMARY

The story is told by Holmes.
Watson is married. Godfrey thinks he has contracted leprosy and is
kept in isolation on his father's country estate. Dodd attempts to
visit him but is sent packing by the Colonel. Dodd engages Holmes'
services. Holmes solves the case from his arm-chair and brings Sir
James with him on a visit to Godfrey. Sir James finds that Godfrey
suffers from icthiosis and not leprosy.

OTHER ADVENTURES MENTIONED

The Abbey School - "In which
the Duke of Greyminster was so deeply involved."

DISGUISES

None.

UNUSUAL DEDUCTIONS &
bits

None

Official Abbreviation: BLAN

The Adventure Of The Blanched
Soldier was first published in the Liberty Magazine, October 16th 1926

The
Mazarin Stone

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

BILLY, the pagePRIME MINISTERHOME SECRETARYLORD CANTLEMERE, pompous
lord who had no faith in Holmes' ability and was opposed to hiring
him.COUNT NEGRETTO SYLVIUS,
half-Italian,
big game hunter, the thiefSAM MERTON, a boxer,
confidant to SylviusSTRAUBENZEE, made the
air gun.VAN SEDDER, ship captain
who planned to take the stone to Amsterdam and cut it into smaller
stones.TAVERNER, French model
maker who made the mannequin of Holmes.YONGHAL. One of the
Scotland Yard men that Holmes tells Watson to contact. He is
with the C.I.D.IKEY SANDERS, a diamond
fence..SUMMARY

Watson is not living at Baker
Street and Holmes deduces that he is a very busy practitioner.

A crown jewel, the Mazarin stone,
has been stolen and Holmes is trying to recover it. (£ 100,000)

Watson leaves to get the police
and is not seen again. There is a mannequin of Holmes by the window.
Holmes gets Sylvius and Merton to discuss the whereabouts of the stone
while they believe he is in the bedroom playing the violin. Actually
it is a gramophone playing the music and Holmes has taken the place of
the mannequin. Holmes slips the recovered stone into Cantlemere's
pocket and teases him therewith.

OTHER ADVENTURES MENTIONED

Old Baron Dowson, who said of
Holmes, "What the law has gained, the stage has lost."

Old Mrs. Harold. She left
Count Sylvius the Blymar estate. The count quickly gambled it away.

Miss Minnie Warrender, who was
done in by the count.

DISGUISES

Workman looking for a job.Old woman

UNUSUAL DEDUCTIONS &
bits

1. The story is told in the
third person. Watson is not the narrator.

2. Many of the devices in the
story have been used before: the bust in the window, the air gun, the villainous
big game hunter, Holmes starving himself, dropping the stone into Cantlemere's
pocket. This is not one of the better stories. It may be a
work of fiction.

3. The stone was named
for Cardinal Jules Mazarin.

Official Abbreviation: MAZA

The Adventure of the Mazarine
Stone was first published in the Strand Magazine, October 1921

The
Three Gables

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

STEVE DIXIE, a bruiser
in the employ of Stockdale.YOUNG PERKINS, murdered
by Dixie.BARNEY STOCKDALE, a
small-time hoodlum.SUSAN STOCKDALE, wife
of Barney who works as a maid for Mary Maberly.MORTIMER MABERLY, a
former client of Holmes, now deceased.MARY MABERLY, widow
of Mortimer who occupies Three Gables.DOUGLAS MABERLY, son
of Mortimer and Mary. Now deceased.MR. SUTRO, Mary's lawyer.LANGDALE PIKE, a dealer
in gossip who writes for the tabloids.ISADORA KLEIN, a wealthy
widow who had an affair with Douglas.DUKE OF LOMBARD, engaged
to Isadora.FERGUSON, a retired
sea captain from whom Mrs. Maberly bought Three Gables.

SUMMARY

Watson is not living at Baker
Street, but is visiting Holmes.

Dixie barges into their rooms
and attempts to intimidate Holmes who says that he will convict him of
the murder of young Perkins if he does not leave.

Mary has consulted Holmes -
she knew of him because he had done some work for her late husband - because
of a strange offer she has received. A house agent has approached
her with an offer to buy her house and furniture for a princely sum.
When she has Sutro look over the agreement he tells her that it is worded
in such a manner that she cannot even take her personal effects from the
house.

Douglas was a promising young
diplomat assigned to and living in Italy. There he met Isadora and
had an affair with her. She wished to end it but he did not.
He was devastated, took to drink and died of pneumonia. Before his
death, Douglas wrote a novel describing their affair in graphic detail.
There were two copies of the novel's manuscript. Douglas gave Isadora
one of them but died before he could take the other copy to a publisher.
Isadora is now engaged to the Duke of Lombard and the appearance of this
novel would create a scandal.

The other copy of the novel
is among Douglas' effects which have just arrived from Italy. Isadora
wishes to buy the house to destroy the manuscript. When Mary refuses
her offer, she has Stockdale and his gang break into her house and steal
it. She then burns it.

Holmes learns the sordid details
from Pike. He confronts Isadora who reminds him that she tried all
legitimate means before resorting to theft. Holmes has Isadora make
out a check to Mary so that Mary can take a trip around the world.

OTHER ADVENTURES MENTIONED

None.

DISGUISES

None.

UNUSUAL DEDUCTIONS &
bits

The Langdale Pikes are actually
two hills in Westmoreland overlooking Wordsworth's Grasmere.

Several prominent Sherlockians
feel because of the way Holmes treats Steve Dixie and the way he treats
Isadora, that this is a spurious work of fiction. Besides would anyone
actually be named "Langdale Pike?"

Official Abbreviation: 3GAB

The Adventure Of The Three
Gables was first published in the Liberty Magazine, September 18th
1926

The
Sussex Vampire

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

ROBERT FERGUSON, tea
broker of Cheeseman's, LamberlyMORRISON, MORRISON &
DODD, legal firm who referred Ferguson to Holmes.MRS. FERGUSON, a Peruvian
whom Ferguson met on a trip to Peru when buying nitrates.DOLORES, long time companion
and servant of Mrs. Ferguson.MRS. MASON, nursemaid
to Ferguson infant.FERGUSON INFANTJACKIE, son of Ferguson
by a former marriage, 15 years old, crippled by a childhood injury.

SUMMARY

Watson is living at Baker St.

Ferguson was married twice and
Jackie was from his first wife. He was extremely devoted to his father.
Mrs. Ferguson was found sucking blood from her infant's neck. She
was actually sucking poison from a wound which Jackie had made with a dart
dipped in curare. Ferguson had brought the darts etc. as mementos
of his visit to Peru and also to make his wife feel more at home.
Holmes solved the case before he even left Baker street.

OTHER ADVENTURES MENTIONED

1. The case of Matilda Briggs.
This was a ship, not a woman, and was associated with the giant rat
of Sumatra - a story for which the world is not yet prepared.2. The voyage of The Gloria
Scott.3. Victor Lynch, the forger.4. The case of the venomous
lizard.5. Vittoria the circus belle.6. Vanderbilt and the Yeggman.6. Vigor, the Hammersmith wonder.

DISGUISES

None.

UNUSUAL DEDUCTIONS &
bits

1. On several occasions Holmes
"makes a note." Since the points are either obvious or extremely
important, we must assume they are mental notes.2. The dog is partially paralyzed
and Holmes assumes Jackie has been practicing with his blow-gun.3. "My instinct felt the presence
of those weapons upon the wall before my eyes ever saw them."

Official Abbreviation: SUSS

The Adventure Of The Sussex
Vampire was first published in the Strand Magazine, January 1924

Prescott has a counterfeiting
plant in a secret basement of his flat. He is killed and Winter is
sent to jail. While Winter is incarcerated, the flat is rented to
Nathan Garrideb who never leaves it. After his release, Winter fabricates
the story that A. H. Garrideb has willed his fortune to the first three
adult male Garridebs to claim it. He puts an ad in a Liverpool paper
claiming
to be Howard Garrideb, in an effort to get Nathan out of his apartment
so he can get the counterfeit money and the plates from which they were
printed. Holmes sees through his plan and lies in wait for him, capturing
him when he has revealed the plates and counterfeit money.

OTHER ADVENTURES MENTIONED

Holmes refused a knighthood
- perhaps his services "can one day be described."

DISGUISES

None

UNUSUAL DEDUCTIONS &
bits

None

Official Abbreviation: 3GAR

The Adventure Of The Three
Garridebs was first published in Collier's Weekly, October 25th 1924

The
Problem of Thor Bridge

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

NEIL GIBSON, ex-American
Senator from some Western state and an extremely wealthy gold magnate.MARIA GIBSON nee PINTO,
the murder victim and wife of Neil.GRACE DUNBAR, governess
to the Gibson children.SGT. COVENTRY, local
policeman who investigated the murder.MARLOW BATES, secretary
to Gibson.MR. FERGUSON, assistant
to Bates.MR. JOYCE CUMMINGS, barrister
representing Miss Dunbar.

SUMMARY

Watson is living in Baker Street.
Billy is on duty.

Gibson and his wife are middle
aged. Although Maria was a raving beauty when she was younger, her
physical charms are fading.

Grace is hired to be governess.
She is an absolutely stunning young woman and Gibson falls head over heels
in love with her. Grace spurns Gibson's physical advances and maintains
their relationship platonic.

Maria is insanely jealous and
tries to force Grace to leave. She does not do so for two reasons:
other people are depending on her for financial aid and she feels she can
induce Neil into great works of philanthropy.

Maria suicides and attempts
to make it look like Grace murdered her.

Holmes sets things straight.

OTHER ADVENTURES MENTIONED

1. Mr. Jason Phillimore
who came out of his house one morning, returned for his umbrella
and was never seen again.2. The Cutter Alacia which
turned into a small patch of mist and was never seen again.3. Isadora Persano, noted duelist
and journalist who was found one day, stark raving mad, staring into
a match box which contained a worm of a type unknown to science.

DISGUISES

None

UNUSUAL DEDUCTIONS &
bits

1. Watson tells his readers
that he has deposited at Cox & Co., Charing Cross, a dispatch box containing
voluminous notes on other Cases in which Holmes was involved. Unfortunately
this building and the box were destroyed in World War II.

2. Holmes tells Gibson "My fees
are upon a fixed scale. I never vary them, except when I remit them
altogether."

Official Abbreviation: THOR

The Problem of Thor Bridge
was first published in the Strand Magazine in 2 parts, February and March,
1922

The
Creeping Man

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

PROFESSOR PRESBURY, 61
year old physiologist with an international reputation. ALICE MORPHY PRESBURY, his
wife and his junior by about 40 years.EDITH PRESBURY, his
daughter and engaged to...TREVOR "JACK" BENNETT, Prof.
Presbury's professional assistant and personal secretary.PROFESSOR MORPHY, holds
the chair of comparative anatomy and is Prof. Presbury's colleague
and father-in-law.ROY. the Presbury's
wolfhoundH. LOWENSTEIN, physiologist
in Prague who supplied the serum to Presbury via the agent...A. DORAK, Lowenstein's
agent in London. A Bohemian with a large general store.MERCER. an assistant
of Holmes who does some of the leg work.MACPHAIL, able-bodied
coachman of the Presburys

SUMMARY

Watson is married and has a
busy practice. He says this was one of Holmes' last cases (Sept.
1903) and that the facts have been in the dispatch box for over 20 years.

Holmes is considering writing
a monograph on dogs in detective work, not for tracking, but because a
dog reflects the attitude of a family: a happy family has a happy dog,
a dangerous family has a dangerous dog etc.

Holmes has been contacted by
Bennett and says that Roy has attacked Professor Presbury on several occasions
before being banished to the barn. Roy attacks no one else and is
otherwise quite manageable.

Professor Presbury fell in love
with his colleague's daughter and she reluctantly agreed to marry him.
After the marriage, the professor disappeared for two weeks and would not
tell any one where he had been, but one of his former students told Bennett
that he had seen him in Prague.

The professor has been radically
different after his return: combative, more physical etc. "A shadow
darkened his higher qualities." He is seen creeping about on all
fours (Hence the title, clever, huh?)

Holmes deduces that he has been
taking a rejuvenating serum manufactured from Langur monkeys by Lowenstein
and supplied to Presbury via Dorak. Just after taking the serum,
the professor is quite ape-like for an interval of several hours and likes
to tease the dog. Finally the dog gets loose and attacks him.
Fortunately, Holmes, Watson and Bennett are on hand to pull them apart.

Holmes says he will write Lowenstein
and tell him he will be held responsible for the criminal effects of his
serum. No further epilogue is available.

OTHER ADVENTURES MENTIONED

The Copper Beeches

DISGUISES

None

UNUSUAL DEDUCTIONS &
bits

Holmes telegraphs to Watson:
"Come at once if convenient. If inconvenient, come all the same."

Watson says, "I was a whetstone
for his mind."

Holmes is considering a monograph
on dogs in detective work.

Holmes and Watson stay at the
Chequers Inn in Camford.

"When one tries to rise above
nature, one is liable to fall below it."

Official Abbreviation: CREE

The Adventure Of The Creeping
Man was first published in the Strand Magazine, March 1923

The
Lion's Mane

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

HAROLD STOCKHURST, Holmes'
neighbor and master of a private school.FITZROY McPHERSON, science
master at the school. Secretly engaged to Maude.IAN MURDOCH, math teacher
at the school. Former suitor of Maude.ANDERSON, the village
constable.MAUDE BELLAMY, the local
beauty and daughter of ...TOM BELLAMY, owner of
a boat liveryWILLIAM BELLAMY, son
of Tom who is co-owner of the livery.FITZROY'S UNCLE, a rich
dying man. Fitzroy is his sole heir.THE LION'S MANE, Cyanea
capillata, a stinging jellyfish.

SUMMARY

Holmes is living in retirement
in Sussex. He and Stackuurst are walking along the high chalk cliff
which borders the ocean when McPherson comes staggering toward them.
He is dying and his last words are, "The lion's mane." His torso
is covered with welts, "as from a fine wire scorge."

Holmes discovers that McPherson
is engaged to Maude. They have kept their engagement a secret because
Maude gets no encouragement from either Tom or William and because Fitzroy's
uncle would disinherit him if he were to become engaged without his consent.
Holmes is very impressed with Maude - almost as with Irene Adler.

Fitzroy's dog, who has been
haunting the seashore at the site of his mater's death, dies in a manner
very similar to McPherson.

Murdoch has been searching the
shore of the crime scene and decides to explore aquatically. He staggers
into Holmes' house in a state of collapse. Simultaneously, Holmes
has independently solved the case! The killer is a huge jellyfish.
Murdoch quickly recovers from his injuries.

Holmes finds the culprit caught
in a tidal pool and smashes it with a boulder.

OTHER ADVENTURES MENTIONED

None.

DISGUISES

None.

UNUSUAL DEDUCTIONS &
bits

1. The story is told in the
first person by Holmes.

2. It seems preposterous that
nobody in the entire town would recognize a jellyfish attack. In
spite of this, Doyle himself was very fond of the story.

Official Abbreviation: LION

The Adventure of the Lion's
Mane was first published in the Liberty Magazine, November 27th 1926

The
Veiled Lodger

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

MRS. EUGENIA ROUNDER, the
veiled lodger.MR. ROUNDER, deceased.
Husband of Eugenia.LEONARDO, strongman,
acrobat and lover of Eugenia.GRIGGS, the clown.
Friend of Eugenia.SAHARA KING, a magnificent
lion owned by the Rounders.MRS. MERRILEW, Eugenia's
landlady.YOUNG EDMUNDS, investigated
the death of Mr. Rounder.

SUMMARY

Watson is not living at Baker
St.

Mrs. Merilew visits Holmes at
Eugenia's request.

Eugenia has been a lodger at
Mrs. Merrilew's for seven years; her face is horribly mutilated and she
wears a heavy veil. She feels she is near death and wants to tell
the facts of her husband's murder to someone who will understand.
Holmes had investigated this murder at the request of Edmunds but could
not solve it.

Holmes and Watson visit Eugenia
who tells them the following story.

Rounder had a circus.
Eugenia married him in a weak moment. He was a huge man and a terrible
bully who beat his wife savagely. All pitied her. She fell
in love with Leonardo and the two of them planned her husband's murder.

Leonardo fashioned a club shaped
like a lion's claw. When Rounder and Eugenia went to feed the lion
in the evening as was their custom, Leonardo hit Rounder in the back of
the head, crushing his skull and leaving the mark of a lion. Eugenia
turned the lion loose, planning to give the impression it had escaped.
Since she did tricks in the show with the lion every night, she did not
fear it. But the lion smelled fresh human blood which enraged it
and when it was released, it turned on Eugenia and mauled her face.
Leonardo could have prevented her mauling but he fled in panic and was
never seen again. She wanted to tell the facts to clear her conscience.

She planned to suicide, but
Holmes talked her out of it and she sent him via post the bottle of prussic
acid she had planned to consume.

OTHER ADVENTURES MENTIONED

The politician, the lighthouse
and the trained cormorant.

DISGUISES

None.

UNUSUAL DEDUCTIONS &
bits

Holmes and Watson lunch on cold
partridge and Montrachet.

Official Abbreviation: VEIL

The Adventure of the Veiled
Lodger was first published in the Liberty Magazine, January 22th 1927

Shoscombe
Old Place

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

SIR ROBERT NORBURTON, an
adventuresome raiser of race horses.LADY BEATRICE FALDER, Sir
Robert's sister who lives with him at Shoshcomb and raises prize-winning
spaniels.JOHN MASON, head trainer
for Sir Robert. Brought the case to Holmes.CARRIE EVANS, maid of
Lady Beatrice.NORLETT EVANS, Carrie's
husband. An actor.SAM BREWER, a money
lender. Once horse-whipped by Robert. Now his chief creditor.JOSIAH BARNES, owner
of the Green Dragon Inn. He took Lady Beatrice's spaniel.SANDY BAIN, Jockey for
Robert.HARVEY MASON, son of
John.STEPHENS, butler to
Robert and Beatrice.SHOSCOMBE PRINCE, the
fastest colt in England.HALF BRO. TO THE PRINCE,
although
very similar in appearance to Prince, not nearly as fleet of
foot.MERIVALE, of the Yard.
A friend of Holmes.

SUMMARY

Watson is living at Baker St.
A page is on duty.

Shoscombe Old Place came to
Lady Beatrice from her late husband. It reverts to her husband's
brother upon her death.

Robert is deeply in debt.
He has placed his entire hope of financial salvation on winning the derby
with Shoscomb prince. He worried about touts and runs the prince's
half brother when they are about. Since the half-brother is much
slower, this keeps the odds long on the prince.

Mason comes to Holmes with the
story that Robert has been acting strangely. He has driven Lady Beatrice
to drink. Lady Beatrice never visits the stable anymore and only
goes out for an afternoon ride in the presence of her maid. He gave
Beatrice's favorite Spaniel away to Barnes. He was seen visiting
an ancient haunted crypt late at night in the presence of a strange man
with a mean yellow face. He brings Holmes a piece of charred bone
which was found in the ashes of the furnace by Harvey. Watson identifies
the bone as part of a human femur.

Holmes ascertains the facts.
Lady Beatrice, who has been extremely ill with heart and kidney disease,
dies of natural causes two weeks before the derby. If Robert let
this fact be known, Shoscombe would revert to his brother-in-law and the
money lenders would ruin him. Therefore, he digs up the remains of
one of her ancient ancestors from the crypt and buries her there.
He burns the disinterred remains in the furnace. That's where the
femoral fragment came from. He has Norlett veil himself heavily and
impersonate Beatrice on a drive every afternoon accompanied by his wife
to carry off the illusion that Beatrice is alive. The spaniel raises
such a fuss that Robert gives him to Barnes.

Shoscombe Prince wins the derby.
Robert pays off his debts and has enough left to situate himself comfortably
and the magistrates forgive him for everything.

OTHER ADVENTURES MENTIONED

1. The St. Pancras case.2. The coiner Holmes ran down
by the Zinc and Copper filings in his cuff.

DISGUISES

Holmes and Watson impersonate
two fishermen and stay at the Green Dragon.

UNUSUAL DEDUCTIONS &
bits

1. Watson likes to bet on the
horses.2. Holmes examines some dust
for Merivale, looking for glue - which he finds.3. Watson is receiving a wound
pension.4. Holmes borrows lady Beatrice's
spaniel and turns him loose when the carriage containing Norlett,
posing as Lady Beatrice, is near. The spaniel quickly reveals
that this is not his master.

Official Abbreviation: SHOS

The Adventure Of Shoscombe
Old Place was first published in the Liberty Magazine, March 5th 1927

The
Retired Colourman

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

JOSIAH AMBERLY, the retired
colourman. MRS. AMBERLY, his wife
(20 years his junior)Dr. RAY ERNEST, a chess
playing friend of Mr. AmberlyBARKER, another private
investigator and friendly rival of Holmes.MACKINNON, a smart young
police officer.

SUMMARY

After he retired from his firm
which manufactured paint and artists supplies, Amberly married a beautiful,
much younger woman. He was a miser and made her life miserable with
his niggardly ways.

Amberly frequently played chess
with Ernest, a man approximately his wife's age. Ernest and Mrs.
Amberly might have had an affair; at least Mr. Amberly thought they did.
Amberly had constructed a "Strong room" inside his house which was much
like a bank vault. He contrived to lock his wife and Dr. Ernest in
this room and flood it with natural gas from an adjacent pipe.

Amberly hid the bodies in an
abandoned well and faked an elopement. He called in the police who
referred him to Holmes. Holmes was absorbed in another case and sent
Watson to investigate.

Barker had been hired by Ernest's
family to investigate the matter. Holmes and he crossed paths and
continued together.

When confronted by the evidence,
Amberly tried to poison himself.

OTHER ADVENTURES MENTIONED

The Case of the two Coptic Patriarchs.

DISGUISES

None

UNUSUAL DEDUCTIONS &
bits

1. Amberly was painting the
woodwork to hide the smell of natural gas.2. Holmes sent Watson and Amberly
on a wild goose chase and burgled Amberly's house during his absence.3. Amberly booked two seats
at theatre on the night of the murder, presumably for he and his
wife. He told Holmes that she had complained of a headache at
the last minute and declined to go but that he went anyway and found them
gone when he returned. Holmes checked with the theatre and found
that neither seat had been occupied that night.4. Holmes and Watson attended
a vocal concert by Carina.

Official Abbreviation: RETI

The Adventure Of The Retired
Colourman was first published in Liberty Magazine, December 18th, 1926